第67章

THE FROGS' BIRTHDAY-TREAT.

And so it came to pass that, just a week after the day when my Fairy-friends first appeared as Children, I found myself taking a farewell-stroll through the wood, in the hope of meeting them once more.I had but to stretch myself on the smooth turf, and the 'eerie'

feeling was on me in a moment.

"Put oor ear welly low down," said Bruno, "and I'll tell oo a secret!

It's the Frogs' Birthday-Treat--and we've lost the Baby!""What Baby?" I said, quite bewildered by this complicated piece of news.

"The Queen's Baby, a course!" said Bruno."Titania's Baby.And we's welly sorry.Sylvie, she's--oh so sorry!""How sorry is she?" I asked, mischievously.

"Three-quarters of a yard," Bruno replied with perfect solemnity.

"And I'm a little sorry too," he added, shutting his eyes so as not to see that he was smiling.

"And what are you doing about the Baby?"

"Well, the soldiers are all looking for it--up and down everywhere.""The soldiers?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, a course!" said Bruno."When there's no fighting to be done, the soldiers doos any little odd jobs, oo know."I was amused at the idea of its being a 'little odd job' to find the Royal Baby."But how did you come to lose it?" I asked.

"We put it in a flower," Sylvie, who had just joined us, explained with her eyes full of tears."Only we ca'n't remember which!""She says us put it in a flower," Bruno interrupted, "'cause she doosn't want I to get punished.But it were really me what put it there.

Sylvie were picking Dindledums."

[Image...The queen's baby]

"You shouldn't say 'us put it in a flower'," Sylvie very gravely remarked.

"Well, hus, then," said Bruno."I never can remember those horrid H's!""Let me help you to look for it," I said.So Sylvie and I made a 'voyage of discovery' among all the flowers; but there was no Baby to be seen.

"What's become of Bruno?" I said, when we had completed our tour.

"He's down in the ditch there," said Sylvie, "amusing a young Frog."I went down on my hands and knees to look for him, for I felt very curious to know how young Frogs ought to be amused.After a minute's search, I found him sitting at the edge of the ditch, by the side of the little Frog, and looking rather disconsolate.

"How are you getting on, Bruno?" I said, nodding to him as he looked up.

"Ca'n't amuse it no more," Bruno answered, very dolefully, "'cause it won't say what it would like to do next! I've showed it all the duck-weeds--and a live caddis-worm--- but it won't say nuffin!

What--would oo like?' he shouted into the ear of the Frog:

but the little creature sat quite still, and took no notice of him.

"It's deaf, I think!" Bruno said, turning away with a sigh.

"And it's time to get the Theatre ready."

"Who are the audience to be?"

"Only but Frogs," said Bruno."But they haven't comed yet.

They wants to be drove up, like sheep."

"Would it save time," I suggested, "if I were to walk round with Sylvie, to drive up the Frogs, while you get the Theatre ready?""That are a good plan!" cried Bruno."But where are Sylvie?""I'm here!" said Sylvie, peeping over the edge of the bank.

"I was just watching two Frogs that were having a race.""Which won it? "Bruno eagerly inquired.

Sylvie was puzzled."He does ask such hard questions!"she confided to me.

"And what's to happen in the Theatre?" I asked.

"First they have their Birthday-Feast," Sylvie said: "then Bruno does some Bits of Shakespeare; then he tells them a Story.""I should think the Frogs like the Feast best.Don't they?""Well, there's generally very few of them that get any.They will keep their mouths shut so tight! And it's just as well they do," she added, "because Bruno likes to cook it himself: and he cooks very queerly."Now they're all in.Would you just help me to put them with their heads the right way?"We soon managed this part of the business, though the Frogs kept up a most discontented croaking all the time.

"What are they saying?" I asked Sylvie.

"They're saying 'Fork! Fork!' It's very silly of them! You're not going to have forks!" she announced with some severity."Those that want any Feast have just got to open their mouths, and Bruno 'll put some of it in!"At this moment Bruno appeared, wearing a little white apron to show that he was a Cook, and carrying a tureen full of very queer-looking soup.I watched very carefully as he moved about among the Frogs;but I could not see that any of them opened their mouths to be fed--except one very young one, and I'm nearly sure it did it accidentally, in yawning.However Bruno instantly put a large spoonful of soup into its mouth, and the poor little thing coughed violently for some time.

So Sylvie and I had to share the soup between us, and to pretend to enjoy it, for it certainly was very queerly cooked.

I only ventured to take one spoonful of it ("Sylvie's Summer-Soup,"Bruno said it was), and must candidly confess that it was not at all nice; and I could not feel surprised that so many of the guests had kept their mouths shut up tight.

"What's the soup made of, Bruno?" said Sylvie, who had put a spoonful of it to her lips, and was making a wry face over it.

And Bruno's answer was anything but encouraging."Bits of things!"The entertainment was to conclude with "Bits of Shakespeare," as Sylvie expressed it, which were all to be done by Bruno, Sylvie being fully engaged in making the Frogs keep their heads towards the stage:

after which Bruno was to appear in his real character, and tell them a Story of his own invention.

"Will the Story have a Moral to it?" I asked Sylvie, while Bruno was away behind the hedge, dressing for the first 'Bit.'

"I think so," Sylvie replied doubtfully."There generally is a Moral, only he puts it in too soon.""And will he say all the Bits of Shakespeare?""No, he'll only act them," said Sylvie."He knows hardly any of the words.When I see what he's dressed like, I've to tell the Frogs what character it is.They're always in such a hurry to guess!

Don't you hear them all saying 'What? What?'" And so indeed they were: